US: Wall Street Gains on Soft Jobs Report.

US stock indices closed higher on Friday after a weaker-than-expected jobs report prompted investors to pare bets on further Fed tightening. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, the Dow added 250 points, and the Nasdaq gained 1% to close at a record 30,808. Nonfarm payrolls increased by just 29,000 last month, well below expectations for a 90,000 gain. Employment figures for the previous two months were also revised lower. Fed rate expectations eased following the data. Meanwhile, oil prices declined, helping support the bond market, providing an additional boost to equities. Credit-sensitive stocks gained, AI companies, which are facing record levels of debt issuance, closed mostly higher. Nvidia rose 1.3%, Broadcom gained 3.3%, and AMD added 2.9%. Among hyperscalers, Alphabet rose 1.6%, Amazon gained 1.3%, and Oracle added 3.1%. Tesla jumped 4.6% after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter sales. On the week, the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, the Nasdaq gained 1.3% and the Dow added shed 319 points.